Electrical engineering and electronics may seem similar in name, but there is a clear distinction between them based on the difference in voltage and their applications. The two disciplines have developed in close relationship with each other, and with the advancement of modern technology, the lines are becoming increasingly blurred.
After entering university, one of the most memorable questions I was asked about my major was. “What’s the difference between electrical engineering and electronics?” Most electrical majors include the words electricity and electronics in their names. When students from other majors or the general public see this, they may have wondered the same thing at one point or another. While the names may not seem like much of a difference, there is a clear distinction between the two disciplines, which are used in different fields.
The easiest thing to distinguish between electrical engineering and electronics is voltage. In a simple comparison, electrical engineering is the discipline that deals with higher voltages, while electronics is the discipline that deals with lower voltages. To put it in simpler terms, electrical engineering is mainly used in the process of transmitting electricity from power plants to homes and schools, while electronics is used to operate computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices.
The process of how electricity is produced, transmitted, and used can help explain the difference between the two fields. The first step is to generate electricity at a power plant. From there, it’s transmitted to a substation, where it’s distributed to homes or industries. During this transmission process, step-up and step-down pressure are applied. From this, we can see that electrical engineering is used in the fields of electricity production (power plants), transmission and distribution, and the creation of power-related infrastructure. Once delivered to homes, industries, factories, etc., electricity is used to run electronics, machines, etc. This is where electronics comes into play, which includes fields such as electronics, semiconductors, communications, and signal processing. Despite these connections, electrical engineering and electronics are used in different fields.
The difference between electrical engineering and electronics is also reflected in their historical development. Until the 1990s, Korea’s electrical industry lacked independent development of source technologies such as design technology and insulation technology, and it was already difficult to secure sales in the export market due to the difference in technology with advanced countries. Therefore, rather than developing its own technology, Korea adopted and relied on technology from advanced countries. Since the 2000s, Korea’s electricity industry has maintained steady growth, but its share of the total industry remains insignificant. In recent years, sectors such as heavy electricity, lighting (LED), and secondary batteries have emerged as new growth engines in connection with the government’s green growth policy.
On the other hand, Korea’s electronics industry began in 1959 with the assembly and production of vacuum tube radios. In the 1960s, Korea entered the electronics industry in earnest by producing simple assembly-oriented radios, vacuum tubes, and black-and-white TVs. In the 1970s, the company began to produce various types of electronic products, and as it accumulated experience in manufacturing technology, it laid the foundation for high growth. From the 1980s onward, the industry experienced both quantitative and qualitative growth, and especially in the 1990s, large companies began to explore overseas markets by shifting their structure to high-value-added items such as semiconductors and communication devices. Since the 2000s, the electronics industry has become Korea’s main export industry, with semiconductors, mobile phones, displays, etc. showing great influence in the global market.
So far, we have distinguished the difference between electrical engineering and electronic engineering through their definitions, fields of use, and development. But are electrical engineering and electronic engineering completely independent of each other? The answer is no. If we simply think about the process of going from a power plant to using a cell phone, we can see that they are closely related. For example, the electricity you use to charge your cell phone is generated at a power plant and transmitted through substations and distribution centers. Without electricity, we wouldn’t be able to use electronics like cell phones. In other words, electronics exists because electrical engineering exists. In addition, the electrical industry has been the foundation industry for the electronics industry, providing materials for key components such as capacitors and wires.
In recent years, there have been an increasing number of common areas where both disciplines have been used. For example, electronic circuits are often used in the protective equipment of power grids, and the creation of power generation facilities requires disciplines such as signal processing and semiconductors. Telecommunications, which falls under the umbrella of electronics, also requires a good understanding of electrical devices. For this reason, engineering students in these fields are expected to have knowledge of both disciplines. Universities are increasingly combining electrical engineering and electronics engineering to meet this demand. Seoul National University also responded to this need by merging the Departments of Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, and Control and Instrumentation Engineering into the Department of Electrical Engineering in 1995, and changed its name to the Department of Electrical and Information Engineering in 2012.
This trend of integration is becoming increasingly common not only in Korea but also globally. This is because new technologies that combine electricity and electronics are emerging in a rapidly changing technological environment, and the boundaries between the two disciplines are becoming increasingly blurred in order to understand and utilize them. For example, smart grid technology has enabled efficient power management through the convergent application of electrical engineering and electronics, and Internet of Things (IoT) technology is another example of the close connection between power supply and management and electronic data processing.
In the end, electrical engineering and electronics have evolved in a complementary relationship, despite their distinct differences. As we move into the 21st century, the boundaries between the two disciplines are becoming more blurred, and as technology continues to advance, a variety of converging fields will continue to emerge. Engineering education is changing to reflect these changes, emphasizing an integrated approach between the two disciplines rather than emphasizing their differences to drive new technologies and industries. In the modern world, where the boundaries between disciplines are being eroded by technological advancements, the distinction between electricity and electronics is becoming increasingly irrelevant, and both disciplines will eventually become key pillars of the larger technological ecosystem.
